Growing Pains
Directed by Cecilie Øien
Synopsis
Júlia is a young Angolan woman who lives in a poor neighborhood of Lisbon, together with her daughter Magui. The story of how she arrived in Portugal and what happen to her afterwards is dramatic, and we follow her as she tries to make sense out of her life. As much as being a portrait of Júlia, the film highlights ambivalences that are common to many migrants in: feelings of belonging, the importance of intergenerational relations and the relation between the past, the present and the future. The film focuses on Júlia’s story and her daughter’s future. It explores some of the challenges they face everyday, and the importance of the wider community to her life.